Searching Far and Wide for Late-Season Twins Bullpen Reinforcements

Over the weekend, the Twins parted ways with Steven Okert, who joins Jay Jackson and Josh Staumont as offseason additions whom the team was forced to abandon midway through the campaign. The Twins are also making do without Brock Stewart, who's out for the year following shoulder surgery, and Justin Topa, who hasn't pitched this season and probably won't. 

Altogether, these mounting losses have whittled away the bullpen depth that seemed like such an asset coming into the season. Minnesota's front office passed up the chance to make a meaningful addition at the trade deadline, instead making Trevor Richards their lone pickup – a befuddling decision that has yielded no benefit. 

He's at least healthy enough to eat some innings, but Richards is not someone the Twins can trust in leverage. The pool of reliable late-inning arms is essentially limited to Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Cole Sands and Jorge Alcalá, with the latter beginning to wobble here in August. If the team can't find a way to expand their stable of trusted arms, they're simply not going to have much hope of making a deep run, and they might be at risk of missing the playoffs.

With external acquisitions largely off the table by now, here are some names that should be kept in mind as pitchers with a plausible chance to impact the late innings for the Twins in the final five weeks of the season, and beyond.

Louie Varland
He's the most obvious name when it comes to upgrading the back end of the bullpen. We saw what Varland can do as a reliever late last year, and it was a thoroughly convincing display. The Twins could use a very similar approach this time around, ramping Varland up in the bullpen with a handful of September appearances to prime him as a high-leverage arm in the playoffs, capable of throwing multiple innings. Knowing the kind of value Varland was able to provide in this role, it's going to be hard to avoid turning to this path at some point, although Minnesota's thinned-out rotation depth does complicate matters.

Josh Winder
Not long ago, Winder's name would not have been mentioned as an option for anything resembling a high-leverage role. Then again, not long ago, the same was also true of Sands. Winder has looked legitimately good during his short time in the Twins bullpen this year, striking out 10 with one walk over nine innings, while generating a 15% swinging strike rate. He is required to spend a few more days in Triple-A following his option in mid-August, but should be back up soon, and deserves a chance to show what he can do in some key spots.

Chris Paddack
Paddack is scheduled for an MRI on Tuesday. If it's clean, the right-hander could be approved to start throwing again, with a rehab assignment soon to follow. I doubt he'll have time to build up as a starter, but he showed late last year that he can be an effective asset out of the bullpen. Paddack threw 3 ⅓ innings of near-perfect ball across two appearances in the ALDS.

Joe Ryan
This is more of a stretch than Paddack, to be sure, but the Twins intentionally didn't rule Ryan out for the season with his shoulder injury. It would take a best-case-scenario recovery, but it's not impossible the righthander could get back on a throwing program in the second half of September. Like Paddack, Ryan wouldn't have much chance at starting a game again at any point, but he could be a formidable weapon out of the pen. Reiterating: this is a major longshot. 

David Festa
The rookie is currently filling a spot in the Twins rotation, and he's looked solid, but his struggles after the first time through the order have held him back. Opponents are hitting .133/.175/.167 against Festa their first time facing him, but .423/.492/.808 the second time. That profile screams for a bullpen role, in which the 24-year-old could be quite dominant. Granted, it'd require finding a starter to replace him in the rotation for the rest of the regular season (Varland? Randy Dobnak?), but there's a lot of upside in this idea. 

Kody Funderburk
Something of a forgotten man in the Twins' bullpen depth chart. Funderburk has been on the injured list since the All-Star break with an oblique injury. Phil Miller of the Star Tribune reported last week that the lefty was healed and ready to start throwing, with a rehab assignment likely to follow. Funderburk has not pitched great this year, but don't sleep on his ability to throw important innings in September and even October. He's got legit strikeout stuff. The Twins liked him enough to carry him on the postseason roster last year as a rookie.

Michael Tonkin
I bring up this name because it's timely and relevant. Tonkin was designated for assignment by the Yankees on Sunday, following a tough stretch. But overall, he had a very nice run in New York, posting a 3.38 ERA and 3.58 FIP in 56 innings for one of the best teams in the league. As you may recall, Tonkin spent a very brief spell as a Twin back in April, and he has plenty more history here. If he reaches them on waivers, Tonkin could be a worthwhile addition for a desperate team.

Marco Raya
Ranked by Twins Daily as the organization's 10th-best prospect, Raya is an undersized 21-year-old with a nasty fastball/slider combo, currently pitching in Double-A. The Twins have handled the former high school draft pick carefully, and he's still got some work to do as a starter from a developmental standpoint, but his stuff could play in short stints against big-league hitters right now. It would be a gambit, but from my point of view, nothing should be off the table right now. 

Did I miss anyone? Who else should be named as a possible late-season bullpen addition for the Twins? Who on this list excites you most? Sound off in the comments!